Seized
by AnimeAliceG
Summary: Based off the horror game Slender and the mythos of the Slenderman this is a tale narrated by a mysterious figure who knows a little too much , you are a wannabe journalist who seeks to solve to case of the missing folk in you small home town. But things are not what they seem and you know what they say: Curiosity killed the cat.


It was dark- no wait, surely there is a word more capable to describe the incomprehensible shadows of the midnight forest. Let me think... Perhaps I shouldn't bother at all, as beginning a tale of horror and darkness with a mere description of the lack of light is rather cliché don't you think? No the darkness itself isn't important, it's what is clinging to the shadows is of which we fear. Which is understandable as humans instinctively fear what we don't understand, what we can't see. Perhaps it's our minds that play tricks on us? Blurring the fine line between fiction and reality. That is what makes us unique! I am sure you are aware of the common phrase "Curiosity killed the cat." I have always thought these expressions held great wisdom. It's a shame man has a habit of not paying heed. But who am I to judge? The position I am in hardly grants me the right to criticise mankind. After all I would have done well to listen to the rumours.

Rumours. Urban myths intending to scare and spark the imagination of its listeners, its readers. That's all they are, aren't they? It`s debatable, and I don't wish to bore you with my ramblings any longer than I must and I am already afraid I have wandered off path already. I assure you it isn't done purposely; retaining my train of thought is difficult to say the least.

Back to the purpose. The best advice I could give you is to leave well alone! And you may smile and role your eyes but my words couldn't be any truer.

DO NOT SEARCH FOR HIM FOR HE WILL FIND YOU!

I just wish I had a chance to warn you...

With languished limbs you managed to haul yourself over the rusted chain link fence. To say you were uneasy would be imprecise, after all being alone in a forest with only your anxious breaths and cautious footsteps as company it would be enough to install fear in any mortal being. But you were determined and as an aspiring journalist you going to get to the bottom of this mystery. Armed with a torch and your reliable camera you were going to crack the case of the missing people. Not long ago had the headline caught your attention: The number of missing people in your town had hit the peak of 100, which seemed odd to you seeing as you lived in a small and rather uneventful town. After a large amount of investigating (I.e. watching the police reports on TV) you concluded that the majority of the missing people were all under the age of 20, the disappearances had started a year and a half ago and most importantly their last known whereabouts was in the local woods bordering the town. Now of course the police had thoroughly combed through the area but their searches would always come up empty. It was like they had vanished off the face of the earth.

Which is where you came in, you figured with you keen eye and sharp journalistic skills you would at least find a clue and maybe even solve the mystery (which in my opinion was a little conceited of you). Flickering on your torch you swayed it to and fro to get a grasp of your surroundings, murky and coniferous forestation engulfed you. And you set off in your daring search for the missing people.

Time had passed when things began to seem odd to you, as you were in a forest you had expected to hear the nocturnal wildlife yet no such sounds fell upon your ears. You didn't think too much on it and pushed on further into the dark. It was one of the many warning signs that he was there, hiding away, stalking his prey. It was only until you discovered the paper attached to the withered frail looking dead tree. Tearing the sheet from the tree you inspected it, with hope that perhaps you had found a clue. The drawing was crude and scribbled, brining it closer to your face you frowned.

"What`s this?"

From what you could make out the paper was covered in triangular scrawled shapes, you guessed they were imitations of trees. But the figure in the centre of the trees is what really caught your attention. It was a stick man, taller than most, so much so its limbs seemed unnaturally long. From the stick figure tendrils snakes their way around it. Folding the paper away for safe keeping you slid it into your back pocket of your trousers. Perhaps you could find more of these messages. You faulted messages? Yanking it back out of your pocket your eyes absorbed the image once again, as if looking at it again would reveal its true meaning.

Which is when you first heard it. A snap of a twig to your left. You reeled, jabbing you torch in that direction.

"Who`s there?"

Your eyes squinted into the blackness; you couldn't see anything but trees and the waving arms of foliage billowing in the breeze. It had to be your imagination, it was dark and you were alone, the mind plays tricks on you, you reasoned. Another snap of dried wood derailed that train of thought. You knew something was out there. Heaving out a sigh you forced yourself to calm, you knew you were being irrational. What did you expect? Woodlands are full of animals, noise is expected.

It was not until several moments later when you had resumed your search through the woodland that you swore you saw a gloomy figure standing in the dark embrace of the trees. You sight was impaired by the shady surroundings but the brief glimpse of the figure told you this. It was man in a suit. He was tall. For reasons you couldn't comprehend you didn't stare to inspect him, something deep down told you not to look. To beware. To run.

"Hello?"

You called out again in hope of a reply.

None came.

Picking up the pace you sped off in the opposite direction, you had no idea who that was but he was scaring you. No that word doesn't seem right. You weren't scared, yet. Troubled, you were troubled with his presence. He obviously wasn't with the police or he would have stopped you, asked why you were here after all this area was sealed off by the police (hence the reason you had to sneak in over the fence). He had broken in here like you had. You feet halted on the gravelled floor and you arched the torch around you in hopes of seeing him again. He wasn't to be seen.

And so began the hunt for the stranger, despite being in a new environment your sense of direction was as sharp as ever and you followed the trail you believed you saw him beforehand. Weaving between the trees you were determined to find the mysterious figure but you couldn't help but notice the nagging feeling that you were making a grave mistake. Which you shrugged off of course, you were no coward.

But you know the saying pride before the fall.

A long while had passed and your legs yearned for rest, you weren't unfit but you had been walking for longer than you had first anticipated. Furthermore you were lost. Until you came across what appeared to be a truck, upon closer inspection you noted the shed like building that sat derelict next to it. With a laboured tug you managed to yank the trucks door open and you peeked inside , it was void of anything of note. Which was disappointing you had hoped to find another clue so you abandoned the truck and made a move on the shed. The door had several bars of wood nailed to its door so you didn't even try to bother to pry it open, instead you circled the shed.

Another page was pinned to wall. Its scrawled but worrying message made you breath stick in your throat.

_**DONT LOOK OR IT TAKES YOU**_

In the corner of the page stood another stickman with a matching likelihood to the last image. Its arms were long and gangly and so were its legs. But you could tell by the hand writing that this page was written by the same person as the last. But they both had the stick figure. You froze.

The figures had an uncanny resemblance to the figure in the forest.

"Oh god." You murmured.

You were in way over your head.

You know the feeling you get, that shiver that runs down your spine. That feeling you get just before something makes you jump. That feeling you get telling you you're being watched. Those feelings tingled away at you at it was only until you folded the paper away and placed it away in your pocket and looked up that you saw it again. It stood closer this time; in the glaring light of your torch you could see that it wasn't human.

IT DIDNT EVEN HAVE A FACE!

Choking on the scream that tried to claw its way up your throat you span on you heel and legged it. Weaving in and out of the trees you dared a quick glance over your shoulder, you couldn't see it but you knew it was there, you could feel it. It was inside your head gnawing away at your sanity, leaving you light headed and nauseous. But you were going to run; you weren't going to let it seize you like it had the rest. It was painfully obvious now, it was killing / taking, you didn't know, it was real. You had heard of the slenderman before, an internet sensation that scared people shitless with stories of him stalking, him watching. But that's all you thought it was, a story! You didn't believe in this nonsense.

IT WASNT REAL!

Or so you tried to tell yourself as you slumped down the base of a tree, you were exhausted your lungs were being scorched by the flames of fatigue. You weren't a journalist; you weren't cut out for this crap. You just wanted it to end. You wanted to go home. Tears slipped down your pallid face as you clutched your torch, using it to illuminate the surrounding area in hope it would keep him at bay. No. You were determined, you were not a coward, you were not going to sit here and wait for him to come for you. You're no baby! Struggling to your feet your heart held its new found spirit. You were going to get out of here and report this, it had to be stopped. You had a plan, the page said not to look at it, so if you didn't look at it, it couldn't take you? You grinned at the simplicity of it, for such a frightening creature it was sure flawed. You had found the loop hole. Pointing your torch to the floor you began to make tentative steps, making sure to be mindful of the gnarled roots under your feet. You felt elated you were going to get out alive...

You had only a few steps when a dark limb came into view. At first you thought it was a tree but the blurring of your vision and the slam of the headache assaulting your head suggested otherwise. With no control of your bodily movements it raised you head like a puppeteer and you could only stare blankly as its empty face gazed upon yours. Everything went dark.

And you were seized.


End file.
